Mutational Frequencies in Mycobacterial rpoB gene using GeneXpert/MTB Rif Assay in Rifampicin Resistant patients at a tertiary care setting in Urban Sindh, Pakistan: Analysis from a Five-Year Period

  • Muhammad Alamgir, Mr Dow University of Health Sciences
  • Mehwish Sajjad, Dr. Dow University of Health Sciences
  • Mirza Saifullah Baig, Dr.
  • Muhammad Yahya Noori, Dr. Dow University of Health Sciences
Keywords: Mycobacterium Tuberculosis, GeneXpert, Rifampicin resistance, rpoB gene, Probe Mutations

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the mutational frequencies in Mycobacterial rpoB gene using GeneXpert/MTB Rif Assay in rifampicin resistant patients during 2013-2017 at a tertiary care setting in Urban Sindh, Pakistan.

Methods: This Retrospective Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study was conducted at the TB laboratories, Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences. The record of 713 positive cases of Rifampicin Resistant Tuberculosis from January 2013 to December 2017 were analysed. These were diagnosed using GeneXpert® that detects mutations in the 81 base pair region of rpoB gene with the help of five molecular probes A, B, C, D and E. All invalid and extra pulmonary samples were excluded.

Results: In total, 713 cases were found to be rifampicin resistant during the five-year period, among which 374 (52.45%) were males while 339 (47.55%) were females. Among the five standard probes A, B, C, D and E, 97.48% of the cases had a single mutation. Among these, mutations in Probe E (66.48%) were the most common, followed by Probe B (14.3%) and Probe D (11.08%). Only 13 cases (1.82%) of double mutations and five cases (0.7%) of triple mutations were detected.

Conclusion: The rpoB gene Probe E region 529-533 appears the most potent site for a mutation and development of rifampicin resistance in the rpoB gene in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, that encodes the β-subunit of RNA polymerase. The most affected age-group in both males and females is 19-45 Years.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3875

How to cite this:
Alamgir M, Sajjad M, Baig MS, Noori MY. Mutational Frequencies in Mycobacterial rpoB gene using GeneXpert/MTB Rif Assay in Rifampicin Resistant patients at a tertiary care setting in Urban Sindh, Pakistan: Analysis from a Five-Year Period. Pak J Med Sci. 2021;37(4):1151-1154. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3875

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Author Biographies

Muhammad Alamgir, Mr, Dow University of Health Sciences

Lab Technician.

Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences

Mehwish Sajjad, Dr., Dow University of Health Sciences

Lecturer, Department of Pathology,

Dow International Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences

Mirza Saifullah Baig, Dr.

Assistant Professor of Pulmonology,

Ojha Institute of Chest Diseases, Dow University of Health Sciences

Muhammad Yahya Noori, Dr., Dow University of Health Sciences

Associate Professor of Microbiology, Department of Pathology,

Dow International Medical College, Dow University of Health Sciences

Published
2021-05-07
How to Cite
Alamgir, M., Sajjad, M., Baig, M. S., & Noori, M. Y. (2021). Mutational Frequencies in Mycobacterial rpoB gene using GeneXpert/MTB Rif Assay in Rifampicin Resistant patients at a tertiary care setting in Urban Sindh, Pakistan: Analysis from a Five-Year Period. Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences, 37(4). https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.37.4.3875
Section
Original Articles